It is highly desired by the consumer that cleaning and/or treatment composition products, such as laundry detergents, shampoos, body-washes and the like deliver additional benefits beyond cleaning. On fabrics, such benefits may include one or more of the following: abrasion resistance, wrinkle removal and/or prevention, pill prevention, anti-shrinkage, anti-static, anti-crease, fabric softness and/or feel, fabric shape retention, suds suppression, decreased residue in the wash or rinse, and/or improved hand feel or texture. On hair and skin, such benefits may include one or more of the following: reduced static and/or static “fly away”, reduced friction and/or easier wet-combing, reduced frizziness, shine and/or luster, smoothness, and/or feel.
While silicone containing compositions have been described (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,451,749; 3,972,131; 4,994,593; 6,303,565 and EP 288137), consumer cleaning and/or treatment composition products containing silicone generally require complex processing to achieve a product having consumer-acceptable viscosity and flow properties. This is due to the fact that, in general, silicones are highly viscous and water-insoluble, and do not readily disperse when added directly into compositions comprising water. As such, silicones must generally be subjected to shear during the manufacturing process to create an emulsion having a uniform particle size prior to incorporation into consumer fabric treatment compositions. This necessitates the extra step of emulsifying the silicone with the aid of an emulsifier and high shear processing equipment. Processing aids, such as structurants and the like, are typically required to stabilize silicones in liquid formulations as silicone droplets tend to float to the top of the formulation, thus causing formulation separation. Such separation results in decreased aesthetic appeal, and in some cases, a product that cannot be used for its intended purpose. In addition to the aforementioned challenges, silicone-containing products also generally require deposition aids to improve deposition of silicones onto surfaces such as fabric, skin and hair. While cationic deposition aid polymers are often used, these polymers often cause formulation problems as a result of to the interaction of the cationic polymer and anionic micelles of the liquid composition. This interaction can result in a product that is “stringy,” and can be very difficult and messy to use. Unfortunately the use of any additional ingredients and the expensive equipment required for the additional product transformations increases the cost of manufacture, and ultimately, the cost to the consumer.
Accordingly, there remains the need for stable, affordable consumer products, such as cleaning and/or treatment composition products for fabric, hair and skin, that have desired viscosity and flow properties. The compositions and methods disclosed herein address one or more of the aforementioned needs and, in certain aspects, comprise low level or no external structurant and yet contain aminosilicones in a form that does not lead to creaming and phase separation as well as incorporate aminosilicone directly, as a fluid, without the need for an intermediate step of pre-emulsification.